Construction on Building “L” on the Verde Valley Campus appears to have begun in earnest. This past week construction crews put up fencing that covered most of the parking area adjacent the building in anticipation of construction.
The three finalists for the newly created Vice President of Strategic Initiatives position at Yavapai Community College appeared during the morning for an Open Forum on July 16 at the Verde Campus. The candidates were: Dr. Sean Abel, Dr. Diane Ryan, and Dr. Stephanie Duguid. The event was provided over a live video stream to faculty who could not attend the presentation in person.
The candidates were given 15 minutes to make a presentation and then several more minutes to answer written questions from those in attendance.
At least one member of the Community College Governing Board, Deb McCasland, was in attendance at the Forum. The public did not receive notice of the open forum although the moderators who introduced the candidates during the morning suggested that the community had been invited.
The candidates will be given a guided tour of the Prescott Campus today (Wednesday).
The following is some of the information the candidates submitted to the Community College.
According to a Federal District Court joint status filing document just obtained by the Blog, no agreement was reached during the settlement conference held July 11 in Flagstaff between defendants Yavapai Community College, NorthAire, Guidance Academy and the former College Director of Aviation, Dan Hamilton. The July 11 settlement conference did not last a full business day (8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.) The claims by Hamilton, if successful, expose the defendants to several millions of dollars in damages.
The case, which has dragged on for almost six years (2012-2019), will now be set for trial when the parties appear before Federal District Court judge Murray Snow September 20, 2019. A pretrial conference has been set for that date.
It appears from court documents (see earlier Blog posting) that there are ten defense lawyers involved (or were involved) in the case. The fees for the Community College apparently come from a tax supported trust of some sort that is designed to satisfy claims against Yavapai County entities.
Neither the College nor the spokesperson for the Governing Board, Ray Sigafoos, have commented on the lawsuit. No one from the College or Governing Board has explained to the public how much the Community College has already paid out (or incurred as debt) in defense lawyer fees. There has likewise been no explanation regarding the source of funds for paying the lawyer fees or who would pay a judgment, if the plaintiff is successful against the College. It appears the taxpayers are the ones who are or will pay the defense lawyer bills for the College regardless of outcome.
Six years of litigation; ten lawyers listed for defendants.
The Yavapai Community College Governing Board met for over an hour on July 16 at the Rock House on the Prescott Campus July 16 to discuss and possibly vote to settle a six-year lawsuit involving millions of dollars in claims by Dan Hamilton, the former director of aviation programs at the College. The defense lawyers in the case apparently contacted the Board via telephone during the meeting.
Following the meeting, the College made no announcement about whether any progress was made toward settling the dispute or finally taking the case to a jury in federal court. Recall that the ten lawyers for the College and other defendants met July 11 in Flagstaff for a settlement conference. Any settlement had to be approved by the College.
The lawyers for the College and related defendants have been on this case for almost six years and the fees billed to the College for it and its employees who are defendants are apparently being paid from a litigation trust fund of some sort set up by the County. It has never been made clear to the public exactly who and how payment for the lawyers will be carried out. Also, no one will disclose the amount of fees that has been paid out so far to the defense lawyers by the College.
The dispute is, of course, a gravy train for the defendants’ lawyers because in theory they can continue to receive hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars while bringing motions, holding meetings, etc., without settling or taking the matter to trial. Think of it; six years of attorney fees so far.
Community College president Dr. Lisa Rhine will address the Sedona City County at its regular meeting on Tuesday, July 23, at 4:30. According to the agenda, she will provide an update and share future plans for the College.
You may attend the Council meeting in person or view it live (free) on a computer via the Sedona City Council’s web service. To gain access to the Council meeting live on your computer you can begin by clicking here. Then follow the directions.
The Sedona City Council holds its regular meetings on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month at 4:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers at 102 Roadrunner Dr. in Sedona. In addition, the Council also holds work sessions and special meetings.
Meetings are webcast via livestream and broadcast on cable TV Channel 4 in the Sedona area.
Lawyers for Yavapai College and other defendants involved in the Hamilton, v. Yavapai College, et. al. lawsuit met on July 11 in Flagstaff for a settlement conference with the plaintiffs. Whether the lawsuit was settled tentatively at that time is unknown. However, the Community College has posted a meeting for July 16 at 1 p.m. on the Prescott Campus where the Governing Board will meet in executive session to discuss the case. Any settlement on behalf of the College would have to receive final approval from the Governing Board.
The Complaint was filed in federal court by the former director of aviation programs at Yavapai College, Dan Hamilton, and alleges, among other things, that Yavapai College and its airplane program partner, NorthAire Aviation, violated the Veteran’s Administration funding rule that limits VA beneficiary enrollment to 85% in any program. (In other words, the program must have at least 15% of its enrollees as civilians.)
The Complaint alleges schemes wherein NorthAire improperly paid for students whom the program certified were not receiving any institutional aid and that the program improperly counted students who were not in the airplane program including part-time, non-flight training, high school students for whom YC waived tuition. The 85% enrollment limitation is the VA’s safeguard to guarantee that the programs have real world relevance, demand and market driven pricing.
The case has dragged on for almost 6 years and neither the Community College nor NorthAire or Guidance Aviation have been able persuade the federal district court to grant or dismiss all of the claims. If successful, the Defendants might have to pay millions of dollars in damages.
Hamilton, the Plaintiff, seeks personal damages in the amount of at least $1 million for contract (salary) damages, plus recovery on various tort damage theories.
Based on the remaining claims, the defendants may be exposed to many millions of dollars in damages.
ay b
July 16 1 p.m. notice from Community College.
The three finalists for the position of new Vice President of Strategic Initiatives will be coming to Yavapai Community College July 16 & 17. There will be open forums held those two days between 8 a.m. and noon for the faculty.
The Community College has not announced that the open forums are open to the public or provided the public with a place where they will be held.
Community College President Dr. Lisa Rhine explained earlier this year in a written message to the faculty that she is going to address the culture, health and strategic direction of the College in the coming months. To help her accomplish those objectives, she began searching for a Vice President of Strategic Initiatives, which is a new administrative position. This person will be responsible for improving and enhancing the online experience, improving enrollment management, expanding an Open Education Resources initiative, developing the learning core, and for leading the College’s Organizational Health strategies.
It came as a surprise to most when construction signs began to appear this month in the Yavapai Community College library on the Prescott Campus, Building 19, room 106, declaring that the Community College Foundation was going to construct offices in that facility. This area is generally referred to as the “Library Living Room.” There was no mention of the new construction in the last Facilities Newsletter provided to the Governing Board or in the updated December 2018 Master Plan. The Blog can recall nothing mentioned about the project at the May Governing Board meeting (the last of one until fall).
Requests made to the Community College for information about the project have so far gone unanswered.
You may view the March/April 2019 Facilities Newsletter where forthcoming projects are listed (last one submitted to the Governing Board) by clicking here.
You may view the December 2018 Community College Master Plan update by clicking here.
The Butterfly Garden on the Verde Campus has been improved over the past couple of years. A gazebo and a bench were added along with gravel on the paths in the garden. It’s becoming a restful, pleasant spot for students and others. But as the photos below show, weeds are growing in the gravel paths and in general the garden is in serious need of some “spiffing up.”
Butterfly Garden; note weeds.
Butterfly Garden, note weeds.
The goal should be to keep it in as good of condition as the College does for the Sculpture Garden on the Prescott Campus or its exercise trail. Hope the new administration will put “excellence” as the goal for caring for the Butterfly Garden and all of the gardens, schrubs, trees throughout the District on its various campuses and centers. The Prescott Campus should not be the exception.
Butterfly Garden; note weeds.
Members of the Northern Arizona Audubon Society have created a course titled An Introduction to Natural History Field Studies and Yavapai College has agreed to incorporate it into the curriculum at Clarkdale Campus starting September 5.
This four-session course will introduce students to the diverse habitats of the Greater Verde Valley region with special emphasis on understanding why these habitats exist where they do and the characteristic species found in each.
Participants will visit the Bubbling Ponds and Sedona Wetlands sanctuaries and other natural areas, learn about the region’s plants and animals and get a hands-on introduction to the art of birding and other aspects of natural history field studies.
The class will focus on the identification of local species and stress the interdependence of species within each habitat discussed.
Opportunities to participate in natural history studies through a variety of citizen science projects will also be discussed.
Those interested in signing up for the course can do so on the Yavapai College website. All participants completing the course will receive a $50 tuition subsidy from the Greenwood Fund. For further information, please contact Brent Bitz at birdsedona@gmail.com
Pond near Page Springs supports small population of endangered Northern Mexican Garter snake.